Why we board planes from the left: A maritime tradition explained
Many travellers have probably wondered why we always board an aeroplane on the left side. Dougie Sharpe, popular on TikTok as the "fact guy," shared the historical reason for this practice, which has its roots in maritime history.
Sharpe explains that even ancient people loaded and unloaded goods and passengers from the left side of ships. It was logistically convenient and allowed ships worldwide to use the same side in commercial ports, facilitating port infrastructure construction.
As a result, the left side of the ship was called "portside," while the right was "starboard."
Aviation adopted the tradition from maritime transport
Engineers decided to maintain this tradition when humanity transitioned from boats to aeroplanes. Every airport and aeroplane was designed so that passengers boarded on the aircraft's left side.
Michael Oakley, editor-in-chief of "The Aviation Historian," also explained this issue in a conversation with AFAR Media. He noted that many elements of aviation terminology are derived from maritime tradition (e.g., rudder, cockpit, cabin, knots). Aviation also adopted the way of boarding from the left side, analogous to the port side of a ship.
A lively discussion ensued under the video
Comments under Sharpe's TikTok video provide additional information, such as the origin of the term "starboard" from steering on the right side of ships.
"The term starboard comes from Viking steering—the rudder was always on the right side, so unloading was done on the left to avoid damaging the rudder," the users explain.
